Still remember my first time welding as an apprentice about 10 years ago. The look of shock on the old guys face when I walked out the welding bay with a glowing orange welding rod stuck to the angle iron I was striking up on 😂😂😂 Good times
Hey Tim, I'm a mechanical engineer from Australia. I do a lot of automotive reporting. I've watched several of your videos and I wanted to thank you sincerely, and compliment you on your top-notch advice. (I see so much bad welding on UA-cam...) You've obviously worked in industry, and I wanted to let you know I think you're doing a great job delivering high quality advice that I'm sure is helping many people. Welding rocks. If you get it right, it's a properly 'Jedi' activity. (Like, you're throwing sub-atomic particles and ionised plasma at a pool of molten metal and telling it what to do with the power of your mind. It doesn't get more 'Jedi' than that.) Seriously, well done making this quite specialised information so accessible. And I share your passion for 7018. Such a nice-looking bead - a real shame, aesthetically, to grind it.
As soon as the tip of the electrode is hot enough, it ignites much more easily without sticking, just as when the metal has already become a little hot, it can be easily ignited again and again, even with very low current intensities. If it doesn't work at all without sticking, you can also rub it very quickly with force over a piece of scrap metal and once enough sparks have flown and it has warmed up, you can then light it on the workpiece more easily.
Suggest using your OTHER hand (with heat resistant gloves) to hold the rod - can often help to 'tap' with great precision, like holding a pencil, and then lift a little quickly to get started and let go with that hand. Especially helpful when the rod is long/new... keep up the great work!
I just tried stick welding with 7018 rod on a multi-process welder. I stuck the rod about 50% of the first hour or so of welding. Then, once I got the hang of it I struggled to restart the arc without banging the tip of the rod against the workpiece, usually resulting in sticking the rod again. Your tip on filing the end of the rod was much appreciated!
Thanks for concentrating on what is arguably the hardest part of learning stick welding. Too many other how to videos glance over how to strike an arc.
Thank you so much your videos. I've been watching a bunch of them for the last 2 weeks and finally today got my first welder and got down to laying some beads., Ha, ha, ! I made a bunch of holes on my pieces to start with, but I'm getting the hang of it. You are a good teacher, clear and to the point. Thank you.
This is great. I've been trying to figure this out. This is the most helpful video I've seen explaining very clearly how to strike an arc and a great suggestion for practicing. Thank you.
I googled a few videos before finding you. I wish I would have came across you before I purchased my equipment. Thank you for the videos and explaining which sticks to use and why!!
This video was super helpful! Just used a stick welder for the first time today and the striking a match analogy made perfect sense as I made my first attempts at arcing. Will definitely be checking out more of your videos so I'm even better prepared for future projects!
I'll be the first to admit I'm not afraid to try anything. I am a proficient Automotive Technician with electrical and electronic diagnostics. Welding not so much. I'm at lube tech status with welding but listen I don't care I want to learn and be better and I appreciate your videos and guidance.
Tim it's me again, your video is absolutely educational, there's is so much to learn from your video thank you, you're a genius with unselfish educating people like me so ignorant & scared to touch that electrode but i have no choice but to do it practicing properly on your guide,👍
Finally struck an arc today and started learning. They’re not the best by any means but I’m super excited and stoked to see my first project through! Thanks for making these videos Tim!
Great video Tim I finally learned how to strike an arc and continue the weld process. Its not pretty or proper but I'm finally welding now I can continue practicing on improving and I'm getting great tips off your videos thank you very much.
Tim do you have any videos for starters who have learned the first stage of being able to strike an arc and managed to weld a little but would like to learn how to start improving their skills a little. I'm in my 60s and want to learn but only as a home hobby but Im not looking for state of the art work I merely just want to learn the basics on how to help make it look a little better nothing special just something for people past working stage and moving on in age you are great at teaching and pointing out the small things that the ordinary person needs to hear thank you for your great skills and passing them on to us
Thank you for all your efforts to submerge new minds into this useful skill. Anytime I have a question you have a video to answer. Your videos are quick and precise, keep up the good work🤙 Timwelds for the win!
Wow. Thank you so much. I'm pretty good with TIG. I was sticking the electrode and almost gave up on MMA. I'm going to try your tips tomorrow the first thing in the morning.
Thank you my friend it is Great information I learn a lot , thank you again. I did a lot of practice took a while but I am like I could be able to say I am pro now.👍🤝 I open my own business welding because of your education thank you.👍
Awesome video & thankya for the advise & for sharing. I've been out in my shop for about a month, practice & welding pieces together, filling in cuts & holes, running beads, & just having fun practicing, practicing, & practicing, until my old Lincoln buzz box arc welder took a crap on me!
Thank you! I got a job that has to have me knowing this and i kinda lied about being able to do it. I tried it, but my previous coworker pushed me aside to do something else when i didn't do it first try.
we started welding in class today and i couldn't even get anything done cause my electrode kept sticking while i was trying to strike the arc. hopefully this helps
Wow i did it, thanks.. i lost a customer yesterday who wanted to purchase welding machine but scared after testing it and see the rod is sticking too much..that’s why i came here to see why the rod is sticking on metal.. God bless you man,, i hope i will get another customer In jesus name,, 🙏 amen
Thanks for the video and sharing your knowledge! I would like to have seen your practice piece after you completed it, so we can see what good looks like. I don't think I fully understood that portion of the presentation.
currently on break during my first ever stick welding class in college, kept sticking so i’m watching this to hopefully come back in 20 min and surprise the shop teacher lmao
i keep a cordless rotary tool with a sanding drum .or a grinding or a cutoff wheel among my ready tools good for lots of stuff but stick electrodes and Tig tungstens especially .
Bought a stick welder a few years ago with all the accessories and a bunch of different rods. I tried a few hours to get my rod to light reliably but never could. It was so frustrating! If I could get the rod to light up I would get a nice weld laid down. But getting it to light was sooooo hard. The welder has been sitting in my garage ever since, collecting dust. After watching this video I decided to give it a few more hours and see if I could make it work!
You might also be well advised to put a few rods at a time into an oven... NOT the microwave!!! A regular heats up oven that can get hotter than 300F... Somewhere between 250 and 500F for an hour or 2 should be sufficient. BUT you absolutely CAN reheat them, so if it's helping but not quite there... hell... heat 'em longer and hotter in various little increments.. 7018's are the MOST notorious, but any rods can draw dampness from the air over time... even in those clever plastic boxes... I have a cheap little dirty Toaster Oven with a relatively new Oven Thermometer in it to do that job, myself... Just suggesting it might not be entirely a "YOU problem"... AND especially after years of sitting around, there's a good chance you won't get a chance for "prime results"... Go ahead and try it, first... BUT... this is an option and any regular oven should do you... It won't leave a stink or mess up your food... Another option is the thickness of the rods effects the power requirements. Some people don't expect that... AND if you went to a Harbor Freight or other hardware store, they're sales-people, not welding instructors. You can find a "Stick Welding Amperage Chart" online for free... Scroogle it, and BOOKMARK IT... That thing's indispensible for me as a hobbyist. I so rarely go through many sticks because I use metal work to supplement some of my carpentry, OR to repair something in lawn equipment, and I often forget what the HELL I've been using, since I bake a handful of rods, stick them in the basket, and head out with the little welding cart... Half the labels wear off the damn boxes before I run out... ...maybe I'm an idiot... BUT that chart's still AWESOME!!! ;o)
@@gnarthdarkanen7464 Yep, keeping the rods dry is a good thing. I wonder if my wife will let me use the kitchen oven for drying the rods... I think I should buy a cheap toaster oven as well. Also, how much rod quality matters? I have some no name chinese rods as well as brand name rods (Lincoln Electric). I have the feeling that better quality rods burn nicer.
@@epatto To a degree. For the most part (from what I've dealt with and experienced) after the E-nuimbers, a 3/32" rod is pretty much a 3/32 inch rod... BUT there are just certain times and places that say a 6011 from the no-name flea-market box didn't quite muster the heat to do the same job that a 6011 (same size) from Harbor Freight did, like blasting through paint or rust... I suspect, there are very little variations from one company to the next in the exact proportions of core-wire to flux coating... One way or another, THIS variation can get the rod up to "operating temperature" (remember in the vid' where he talked about striking and adding arc-span to heat the rod?)... To THAT end, I have found that finishing one short seam and going directly to the next with the rod still HOT, it tends to strike easier than setting the thing down (for duty cycle warnings) and letting everything cool off between seams... Might not fix everything, or even most things... BUT it's a worthy experiment... What I did was set my tack-welds... using a last half of an old rod (filed clean... just good "manners" with sticks) AND then let the equipment cool to room temp... THEN with a fresh rod of whatever qualities, I would weld about an inch and skip about an inch (just eyeball it, because I couldn't see the sharpie marks through the lens anyway)... The first set, I'd do one and set the thing down to cool, every time... file and proceed... The second set (filling in the skipped inches approximately... I just hit and skipped and hit the next... the best I could. Other than being FUGLY as hell... The second set consistently went easier and better than the first... At least, such was my experience. It was FUGLY, because it's so damn tough trying to "eyeball" anything when you're blinded between the arc and the #14 lens I was using at the time... with only sunlight against a white table to help. ...well... then there's the 1/16 inch (read useless as tits on a bore hog to me) sticks... which wander around like I'm an epileptic trying to weld with cooked spaghetti. I'd rather just blast holes in anything that light at this point... As to the oven, I have yet to sense any kind of odor or flavor over the stick cooking... BUT just to avoid conflict, a cheap used toaster oven and oven thermometer to work by could be worth their weigh in gold... JUST don't let folks at a flea market or garage sale know that. ;o)
Holy hell, i just had an epiphany… I picked up welding about 3 months ago, I started with mig, I’ve been working on stick all day, I almost threw everything in front of me across the yard, I’ve always thought it was called stick welding because of the stick, but is it stick welding because it sticks??? lol
I've watched this over several times and still can't get it. I'm trying to repair a mower deck with a dekopro mma-160a and 3/32 7018 rod and I can't get a stable arc. I'm on 120 plug and tried setting amps everywhere from 70-160 and just can't get it to work. Maybe I better try some clean scrap for testing rather than old mower decks. Any suggestions would be welcomed. Love your videos, Tim. Thanks for sharing.
been watching some videos about "striking an arc" since it's an issue for me. All welding machines are not created equal. Miller welding machines are apparently expensive, but when you set it for a specific amperage, the machine delivers that amperage. Less expensive welders don't deliver that specific amperage you requested and make it even tougher to strike an arc, unless you increase the amperage. On a Miller, if you ask for 130 amps, you typically get 130 amps, but other welders will deliver less amperage.
Sounds a silly question, maybe, but with the dazzling arc, how do you see what you are doing? When I've tried this, I've found that a problem. Similarly, before the arc strikes, the facemask/goggles blind me. :) I haven't done much, but would like to get a cheap stick welder to gain the capability as it's a very useful skill. Thanks. Fantastic series from, I'm sure, a top class professional.
Also for starting, I believe by hitting up the part you are about to weld, you have better chance to make a proper weld! P. S. I'm pretty rookie in the welding! It's been just one month that I've self-learned how to weld as I had to make Charge/Down-pipes, waste pipe, inlet manifold, etc. for my projects. 😅
I'm a welder, please is it right to have a piece of metal close to use as a ruff start, before striking on the actual work piece?, asking because, I've come to notice that successful arc strikes are very common with hot 🔥 electrode s 😊
Great question! I wouldn't do it. Wire feed welders use a power supply with a constant voltage while stick/TIG welding works much better with a machine that outputs constant current. This is to help keep the process stable when you manually control the arc length. I'm sure you could rig it up to work somehow, but the results will probably be disappointing. If you want to do some stick welding, I'd check out a dedicated stick welder. I reviewed a DekoPro that was inexpensive a while back and still use it from time to time. It works well for the cost.
You can buy multiple decent DC arc welders that go up to 150-160 amps for less than $100.00 that all work really good to start with. I have an iReboot brand and it does good.
I usually just use the tap method to strike an arc kinda like I'm knocking on a door and that works most of the time. If it doesn't then I give it a little drag then that does the trick. Now quite often I still manage to stick a 7018 and I think that's because my welder doesn't like them unless I crank up the amperage to 130-140 sometimes. Now I do have a good question, how do I know what type of connector my welder leads use and what size wire do I need to use? My welder does use the twist lock style connector but IDK if there a multiple sizes and my lead wires are quite thin. Not only are they short but I kinda sorta had the ground lead touch hot metal and it melted the insulation, while the welder was on... ooops.
OKAY... Ahead of time... Sorry for the length. It's not hard... I PROMISE. To be relatively complete, however, there's a bit of extra you should know about the situation... just for a better reference. If it was my welder... I'd start by finding every notation on the welder, and write EVERYTHING down the best I could... There's usually (not always) notes on the side or back about output current and voltage, and that as well as the obvious (Make, Model, Serial numbers)... BUT more details are usually better than fewer... Disconnect the leads and make sure they match up (most are the same style connector)... AND then take the damaged lead along and head to an actual "Weld Shop" if you can find one. Hardware stores can carry what you have, but too often hire high school kids who couldn't tell you BEANS about any of it... You want to show and tell and then listen and even take more notes... Having the damaged lead (in your case the ground) on hand lets the knowledgeable pro (most weld shops have at least one on hand somewhere) establish your problem and he'll either know it off the top of his head, or he can look it up while he's LOOKING AT IT... That can be important. If there's a "Part" or "SKU" (often said "skew") Number, you should probably write that down, too... AND you can even ask about a matching number for the Electrode lead... If you can, finding an old timer who welds as a hobby or a retired welder is an AWESOME fountain of knowledge... He's liable to tell you something about "Back in the day we'd have a guy do something like that about every month, and we just..." insert professional shop talk about a field repair... blah-blah-blah... "AND those things would hold up until then next bonehead did something like drive the truck over a lead or weld his damn welder to the wall..." That's how you get tips to finish a "job" without making an ill-timed run to a shop that might be 50 miles away from your job-site (including the front yard because the wife kicked your ass out of the garage for welding the crackle box to her car that one time... Okay... Here's a little electrical engineering tip for you. A "Grounding Wire" ALWAYS has "Zero Volts" registered. This doesn't matter what the polarity is. "Earth Ground" is ALWAYS "Dead Zero"... The reason welders have insulated "Grounds" is to protect them so idiots (like me) don't damage them irreparably by riding over them on motorcycles, lawn tractors, or my step-dad's truck... In any piece of equipment, you are safe leaving a ground wire completely bare... Which actually used to be the traditional condition, until enough idiots fried themselves in house wiring, and they invented the "modern 3-wire" system of wiring almost everything... 1"Hot" wire (black in US house code) 1 "Neutral" (white in U.S. house code) and 1 "Earth Ground" (still often bare in US house code)... It's technically "Earth Ground" (even on 3-wire 220VAC wiring) because it's supposed to (by legal construction code) route to a "Grounding Post" at least six feet deep in the actual ground... In any case... Just so you know, you're probably not going to burn anything down by wrapping the thing in black-tape to avoid the rest of the insulation breaking free and wandering off of it... and welding to finish or whatever... It's still better for the machine (design and engineers and all) to get a replacement... OR you can call the replacement a "Spare"... Cut it off at the lost insulation, and just move the grounding CLAMP at the end to the new "end"... I usually go after a good set of bolt-cutters (the kind used to break locks) for this, because lineman's pliers just SUCK at taking on that much metal... BUT Welding Supply Stores sell replacement grounding clamps, so sooner or later, you might as well face the process and learn how to replace that on your own. It's not particularly complicated... You just about can't f*** it up. AND you might find out the shorter grounding lead is a net benefit, just by not having so much wire and insulation wandering around under foot. Sorry for the length (again), BUT I hope this helps out.
DO you want to turn the welder off and remove the elctrode before sanding the tip off? Is there a risk of shock by leaving the machine on while filing the tip off while it’s on?? Thanks
I'd pull the electrode out of the holder and just place the electrode holder so the metal can't contact with the work. I rarely turn the machine off during a project. You shouldn't need to file it every time, just if you run into trouble with slag on the end. If you whip it quickly out of the puddle when you finish a weld it will usually flick the slag off and you can just break a little flux off with your glove.
@@TimWelds Gotcha. Thank you. I just taught myself to stick weld last week but keep getting my stick stuck ha. I skip over and learned to TIG weld first. So far stick has been fun.
Just bought some 7018 2,5mm and can't strike an arc even at 140amps, although i can weld decently with 6013, with my 7018 sticks it eiter sticks or weld for one second then dies, what can it be? same issue on AC and DC+
The biggest thing I struggle with, is the angle in which I should strike the arc. Instructors tell me to fix my posture and dont move so slowly on the initial strike and they're right. Im just struggling to get that part.
Here’s a stupid question - for a home hobbyist total beginner, what’s the best (yet affordable) work surface to use for practice? I notice you have what looks like an expensive metal table. Is there something cheap that a beginner could use?
I am struggling so hard with sticking. And I’m running a fairly “easy to use” rod. I spent three hours my last class just trying to strike an arc. Stuck every time. Now sticking terrifies the crap out of me and I feel a bit like I’ve failed. The back and forth motion never works on my tiny coupons, so I end up having to pick my work up off the table or releasing my rod from the clamp, none of which feels like a good or safe option. My last class made me cry. I went from loving welding to not wanting to show up. I don’t understand where my amperage/voltage should be, or how high it can go.
Your channel is amazing Tim . I have a question for you . I know the quality of mig or tig welding machine is important . But how about stick welding machine ? Are Lincoln electrics stick welding machine worth it’s price ? What’s the difference between expensive stick welding machine and cheap stick welding machine? If you make a video about it I would be appreciated .
I don't know why but I keep getting my stick stuck into the metal with a 70A stick welder. I'll eventually figure this out- no way it could be this hard.
What a silly comment. You need to watch the videos to get tips on what to do, and then go practice what you've been told. And then watch more videos to learn more and understand better.
Struck my first arc 2hrs ago. Still buzzing with excitement 👍. Your previous videos were massively helpful. Regards Paul
Great to hear! It's definately a ton of fun once you get going!
same here
i understand the feeling 🔥❤️
Sparked my first arc last week and the joy was incredible. I was laughing and giddy the rest of the night. What a pleasure.
I'm the same pal haha
About to go strike my first arc to weld a hand rail that just had to have a top flat bar that’s 1/2 an inch thick😂😤
Still remember my first time welding as an apprentice about 10 years ago. The look of shock on the old guys face when I walked out the welding bay with a glowing orange welding rod stuck to the angle iron I was striking up on 😂😂😂 Good times
Hey Tim, I'm a mechanical engineer from Australia. I do a lot of automotive reporting. I've watched several of your videos and I wanted to thank you sincerely, and compliment you on your top-notch advice. (I see so much bad welding on UA-cam...) You've obviously worked in industry, and I wanted to let you know I think you're doing a great job delivering high quality advice that I'm sure is helping many people. Welding rocks. If you get it right, it's a properly 'Jedi' activity. (Like, you're throwing sub-atomic particles and ionised plasma at a pool of molten metal and telling it what to do with the power of your mind. It doesn't get more 'Jedi' than that.) Seriously, well done making this quite specialised information so accessible. And I share your passion for 7018. Such a nice-looking bead - a real shame, aesthetically, to grind it.
Thanks so much! I appreciate that!
As soon as the tip of the electrode is hot enough, it ignites much more easily without sticking, just as when the metal has already become a little hot, it can be easily ignited again and again, even with very low current intensities. If it doesn't work at all without sticking, you can also rub it very quickly with force over a piece of scrap metal and once enough sparks have flown and it has warmed up, you can then light it on the workpiece more easily.
sounds like a good tip. I suppose you can't hide a cigarette lighter in your pockets while welding to use to heat the end of the rod though.
Tried stick welding yesterday (04.05.2024) for the first time it sure does hard to strike an arc. Need more practice. Thanks for this video.
Suggest using your OTHER hand (with heat resistant gloves) to hold the rod - can often help to 'tap' with great precision, like holding a pencil, and then lift a little quickly to get started and let go with that hand. Especially helpful when the rod is long/new... keep up the great work!
I just tried stick welding with 7018 rod on a multi-process welder. I stuck the rod about 50% of the first hour or so of welding. Then, once I got the hang of it I struggled to restart the arc without banging the tip of the rod against the workpiece, usually resulting in sticking the rod again. Your tip on filing the end of the rod was much appreciated!
Thanks for concentrating on what is arguably the hardest part of learning stick welding. Too many other how to videos glance over how to strike an arc.
Just finished welding school. Can’t wait to start working soon!
Thank you so much your videos. I've been watching a bunch of them for the last 2 weeks and finally today got my first welder and got down to laying some beads., Ha, ha, ! I made a bunch of holes on my pieces to start with, but I'm getting the hang of it. You are a good teacher, clear and to the point. Thank you.
I really hope I learn this quickly when I start school. I have a feeling it's wayyy harder than this guy makes it look
This is great. I've been trying to figure this out. This is the most helpful video I've seen explaining very clearly how to strike an arc and a great suggestion for practicing. Thank you.
Glad it helped! Thanks!
I googled a few videos before finding you. I wish I would have came across you before I purchased my equipment. Thank you for the videos and explaining which sticks to use and why!!
This video was super helpful! Just used a stick welder for the first time today and the striking a match analogy made perfect sense as I made my first attempts at arcing.
Will definitely be checking out more of your videos so I'm even better prepared for future projects!
you are getting experienced in doing video, really great :)
you are officially my teacher
I'll be the first to admit I'm not afraid to try anything. I am a proficient Automotive Technician with electrical and electronic diagnostics. Welding not so much. I'm at lube tech status with welding but listen I don't care I want to learn and be better and I appreciate your videos and guidance.
Tim, you are truly amazing with the detail. Thank you so much
Tim it's me again, your video is absolutely educational, there's is so much to learn from your video thank you, you're a genius with unselfish educating people like me so ignorant & scared to touch that electrode but i have no choice but to do it practicing properly on your guide,👍
Finally struck an arc today and started learning. They’re not the best by any means but I’m super excited and stoked to see my first project through! Thanks for making these videos Tim!
Yeah thanks for the great video, it's the most informative I've ever seen about welding!
Wow, thanks!
Great video Tim I finally learned how to strike an arc and continue the weld process. Its not pretty or proper but I'm finally welding now I can continue practicing on improving and I'm getting great tips off your videos thank you very much.
Awesome!
Tim do you have any videos for starters who have learned the first stage of being able to strike an arc and managed to weld a little but would like to learn how to start improving their skills a little. I'm in my 60s and want to learn but only as a home hobby but Im not looking for state of the art work I merely just want to learn the basics on how to help make it look a little better nothing special just something for people past working stage and moving on in age you are great at teaching and pointing out the small things that the ordinary person needs to hear thank you for your great skills and passing them on to us
Good video Tim 👍 This info is spot on and will help a lot of people out that are new to welding. Thanks for all your helpful content 🙂
Excellent. I really struggled to strike an arc. Can't wait to try out these tips
Thank you, the best beginners tips I could find on youtube....
Thank you for taking the time to make these videos. They are all extremely helpful.
Thank you for all your efforts to submerge new minds into this useful skill. Anytime I have a question you have a video to answer. Your videos are quick and precise, keep up the good work🤙 Timwelds for the win!
Thanks Tim, I enjoy your thorough and humble tips. Thanks for sharing, its helping me to improve. S
Wow. Thank you so much. I'm pretty good with TIG. I was sticking the electrode and almost gave up on MMA. I'm going to try your tips tomorrow the first thing in the morning.
Great stuff, thanks for the really clear description.
i have just started welding. my uncle gave me his old ac welder and your tips and videos have really helped 🥰
Great tips, thank you. I just binned-off my buzz box for a tiny DC box that comes with high recommendations.
Thank you my friend it is Great information I learn a lot , thank you again. I did a lot of practice took a while but I am like I could be able to say I am pro now.👍🤝 I open my own business welding because of your education thank you.👍
Awesome video & thankya for the advise & for sharing. I've been out in my shop for about a month, practice & welding pieces together, filling in cuts & holes, running beads, & just having fun practicing, practicing, & practicing, until my old Lincoln buzz box arc welder took a crap on me!
Thank you! I got a job that has to have me knowing this and i kinda lied about being able to do it. I tried it, but my previous coworker pushed me aside to do something else when i didn't do it first try.
What are good settings for 6011? AC or DC
we started welding in class today and i couldn't even get anything done cause my electrode kept sticking while i was trying to strike the arc. hopefully this helps
I hope it worked out for you! I'm currently having the same issue 😅
Trying this with 3/32 6013 and I’m having no trouble striking it but my weld line looks like a bunch of splatters with pea size welds
Wow i did it, thanks.. i lost a customer yesterday who wanted to purchase welding machine but scared after testing it and see the rod is sticking too much..that’s why i came here to see why the rod is sticking on metal.. God bless you man,, i hope i will get another customer In jesus name,, 🙏 amen
Tim you make such great videos. Thank you brother. You’re inspiring me
Thanks for the video and sharing your knowledge! I would like to have seen your practice piece after you completed it, so we can see what good looks like. I don't think I fully understood that portion of the presentation.
Does the stick touch the metal throughout the initial spark? Or do you slightly hover over the metal once the stick/rod makes contact/spark?
yes then hovers over the metal
currently on break during my first ever stick welding class in college, kept sticking so i’m watching this to hopefully come back in 20 min and surprise the shop teacher lmao
Exact same situation I'm in right now 😅
i keep a cordless rotary tool with a sanding drum .or a grinding or a cutoff wheel among my ready tools good for lots of stuff but stick electrodes and Tig tungstens especially .
Good stuff. Thanks from a new welder.
Need to go practice. Thanks for this video.
You rock as an instructor!!!👏👏👏👏
Nice pointers! Thanks a bunch!
Bought a stick welder a few years ago with all the accessories and a bunch of different rods. I tried a few hours to get my rod to light reliably but never could. It was so frustrating! If I could get the rod to light up I would get a nice weld laid down. But getting it to light was sooooo hard. The welder has been sitting in my garage ever since, collecting dust. After watching this video I decided to give it a few more hours and see if I could make it work!
You might also be well advised to put a few rods at a time into an oven... NOT the microwave!!! A regular heats up oven that can get hotter than 300F... Somewhere between 250 and 500F for an hour or 2 should be sufficient. BUT you absolutely CAN reheat them, so if it's helping but not quite there... hell... heat 'em longer and hotter in various little increments..
7018's are the MOST notorious, but any rods can draw dampness from the air over time... even in those clever plastic boxes... I have a cheap little dirty Toaster Oven with a relatively new Oven Thermometer in it to do that job, myself... Just suggesting it might not be entirely a "YOU problem"... AND especially after years of sitting around, there's a good chance you won't get a chance for "prime results"...
Go ahead and try it, first... BUT... this is an option and any regular oven should do you... It won't leave a stink or mess up your food...
Another option is the thickness of the rods effects the power requirements. Some people don't expect that... AND if you went to a Harbor Freight or other hardware store, they're sales-people, not welding instructors. You can find a "Stick Welding Amperage Chart" online for free... Scroogle it, and BOOKMARK IT... That thing's indispensible for me as a hobbyist. I so rarely go through many sticks because I use metal work to supplement some of my carpentry, OR to repair something in lawn equipment, and I often forget what the HELL I've been using, since I bake a handful of rods, stick them in the basket, and head out with the little welding cart... Half the labels wear off the damn boxes before I run out...
...maybe I'm an idiot... BUT that chart's still AWESOME!!! ;o)
@@gnarthdarkanen7464 Yep, keeping the rods dry is a good thing. I wonder if my wife will let me use the kitchen oven for drying the rods... I think I should buy a cheap toaster oven as well. Also, how much rod quality matters? I have some no name chinese rods as well as brand name rods (Lincoln Electric). I have the feeling that better quality rods burn nicer.
@@epatto To a degree. For the most part (from what I've dealt with and experienced) after the E-nuimbers, a 3/32" rod is pretty much a 3/32 inch rod... BUT there are just certain times and places that say a 6011 from the no-name flea-market box didn't quite muster the heat to do the same job that a 6011 (same size) from Harbor Freight did, like blasting through paint or rust...
I suspect, there are very little variations from one company to the next in the exact proportions of core-wire to flux coating... One way or another, THIS variation can get the rod up to "operating temperature" (remember in the vid' where he talked about striking and adding arc-span to heat the rod?)...
To THAT end, I have found that finishing one short seam and going directly to the next with the rod still HOT, it tends to strike easier than setting the thing down (for duty cycle warnings) and letting everything cool off between seams...
Might not fix everything, or even most things... BUT it's a worthy experiment... What I did was set my tack-welds... using a last half of an old rod (filed clean... just good "manners" with sticks) AND then let the equipment cool to room temp...
THEN with a fresh rod of whatever qualities, I would weld about an inch and skip about an inch (just eyeball it, because I couldn't see the sharpie marks through the lens anyway)... The first set, I'd do one and set the thing down to cool, every time... file and proceed... The second set (filling in the skipped inches approximately... I just hit and skipped and hit the next... the best I could.
Other than being FUGLY as hell... The second set consistently went easier and better than the first... At least, such was my experience. It was FUGLY, because it's so damn tough trying to "eyeball" anything when you're blinded between the arc and the #14 lens I was using at the time... with only sunlight against a white table to help.
...well... then there's the 1/16 inch (read useless as tits on a bore hog to me) sticks... which wander around like I'm an epileptic trying to weld with cooked spaghetti. I'd rather just blast holes in anything that light at this point...
As to the oven, I have yet to sense any kind of odor or flavor over the stick cooking... BUT just to avoid conflict, a cheap used toaster oven and oven thermometer to work by could be worth their weigh in gold... JUST don't let folks at a flea market or garage sale know that. ;o)
Great tips thank you Tim. 🇦🇺
No problem 👍
It’s nice to see this video has zero dislikes
Holy hell, i just had an epiphany… I picked up welding about 3 months ago, I started with mig, I’ve been working on stick all day, I almost threw everything in front of me across the yard, I’ve always thought it was called stick welding because of the stick, but is it stick welding because it sticks??? lol
Priceless.. second video and already subscribed
That drill is a great idea!
Thanks for the great tips!
No problem!
Thanks - another great video!
I started welding thin tube steel so catched my arse until I watched these videos. Now I'm taking on jobs.
Thanks alot, you just help me alot.
Thank you my teacher.
love these beginner tips
I've watched this over several times and still can't get it. I'm trying to repair a mower deck with a dekopro mma-160a and 3/32 7018 rod and I can't get a stable arc. I'm on 120 plug and tried setting amps everywhere from 70-160 and just can't get it to work. Maybe I better try some clean scrap for testing rather than old mower decks. Any suggestions would be welcomed. Love your videos, Tim. Thanks for sharing.
been watching some videos about "striking an arc" since it's an issue for me. All welding machines are not created equal. Miller welding machines are apparently expensive, but when you set it for a specific amperage, the machine delivers that amperage. Less expensive welders don't deliver that specific amperage you requested and make it even tougher to strike an arc, unless you increase the amperage. On a Miller, if you ask for 130 amps, you typically get 130 amps, but other welders will deliver less amperage.
I learned that I have greater control with shorter sticks.
Really appreciate your insight man!
Sounds a silly question, maybe, but with the dazzling arc, how do you see what you are doing? When I've tried this, I've found that a problem. Similarly, before the arc strikes, the facemask/goggles blind me. :) I haven't done much, but would like to get a cheap stick welder to gain the capability as it's a very useful skill. Thanks. Fantastic series from, I'm sure, a top class professional.
Very good topic and video Tim…… just what I needed✅👍👌
good video helped a lot thanks.
Also for starting, I believe by hitting up the part you are about to weld, you have better chance to make a proper weld!
P. S. I'm pretty rookie in the welding! It's been just one month that I've self-learned how to weld as I had to make Charge/Down-pipes, waste pipe, inlet manifold, etc. for my projects. 😅
Yes it’s very frustrating but this video has good information that to help understand what to do yo start the arc.
I'm a welder, please is it right to have a piece of metal close to use as a ruff start, before striking on the actual work piece?, asking because, I've come to notice that successful arc strikes are very common with hot 🔥 electrode s 😊
Can I make a flux core DC inverter into a stick welder? I have a titanium 125 and was just wondering if you have tried to do that?
It’s a different type of power supply.
The are a lot of stick welders on Amazon that are cheaper than that Titanium 125. You might wanna check out Tim’s review of the Dekopro stick welder.
Great question! I wouldn't do it. Wire feed welders use a power supply with a constant voltage while stick/TIG welding works much better with a machine that outputs constant current. This is to help keep the process stable when you manually control the arc length. I'm sure you could rig it up to work somehow, but the results will probably be disappointing. If you want to do some stick welding, I'd check out a dedicated stick welder. I reviewed a DekoPro that was inexpensive a while back and still use it from time to time. It works well for the cost.
You can buy multiple decent DC arc welders that go up to 150-160 amps for less than $100.00 that all work really good to start with. I have an iReboot brand and it does good.
Could you use jumper cable clamps for your ground and electrode clamp or would they melt or something
Thanks sTim!!
Would you recommend a electric welding machine to start with rather a gas ran one?
I usually just use the tap method to strike an arc kinda like I'm knocking on a door and that works most of the time. If it doesn't then I give it a little drag then that does the trick. Now quite often I still manage to stick a 7018 and I think that's because my welder doesn't like them unless I crank up the amperage to 130-140 sometimes.
Now I do have a good question, how do I know what type of connector my welder leads use and what size wire do I need to use? My welder does use the twist lock style connector but IDK if there a multiple sizes and my lead wires are quite thin. Not only are they short but I kinda sorta had the ground lead touch hot metal and it melted the insulation, while the welder was on... ooops.
OKAY... Ahead of time... Sorry for the length. It's not hard... I PROMISE. To be relatively complete, however, there's a bit of extra you should know about the situation... just for a better reference.
If it was my welder... I'd start by finding every notation on the welder, and write EVERYTHING down the best I could... There's usually (not always) notes on the side or back about output current and voltage, and that as well as the obvious (Make, Model, Serial numbers)... BUT more details are usually better than fewer...
Disconnect the leads and make sure they match up (most are the same style connector)... AND then take the damaged lead along and head to an actual "Weld Shop" if you can find one. Hardware stores can carry what you have, but too often hire high school kids who couldn't tell you BEANS about any of it... You want to show and tell and then listen and even take more notes...
Having the damaged lead (in your case the ground) on hand lets the knowledgeable pro (most weld shops have at least one on hand somewhere) establish your problem and he'll either know it off the top of his head, or he can look it up while he's LOOKING AT IT... That can be important. If there's a "Part" or "SKU" (often said "skew") Number, you should probably write that down, too... AND you can even ask about a matching number for the Electrode lead...
If you can, finding an old timer who welds as a hobby or a retired welder is an AWESOME fountain of knowledge... He's liable to tell you something about "Back in the day we'd have a guy do something like that about every month, and we just..." insert professional shop talk about a field repair... blah-blah-blah... "AND those things would hold up until then next bonehead did something like drive the truck over a lead or weld his damn welder to the wall..."
That's how you get tips to finish a "job" without making an ill-timed run to a shop that might be 50 miles away from your job-site (including the front yard because the wife kicked your ass out of the garage for welding the crackle box to her car that one time...
Okay... Here's a little electrical engineering tip for you. A "Grounding Wire" ALWAYS has "Zero Volts" registered. This doesn't matter what the polarity is. "Earth Ground" is ALWAYS "Dead Zero"... The reason welders have insulated "Grounds" is to protect them so idiots (like me) don't damage them irreparably by riding over them on motorcycles, lawn tractors, or my step-dad's truck... In any piece of equipment, you are safe leaving a ground wire completely bare... Which actually used to be the traditional condition, until enough idiots fried themselves in house wiring, and they invented the "modern 3-wire" system of wiring almost everything... 1"Hot" wire (black in US house code) 1 "Neutral" (white in U.S. house code) and 1 "Earth Ground" (still often bare in US house code)... It's technically "Earth Ground" (even on 3-wire 220VAC wiring) because it's supposed to (by legal construction code) route to a "Grounding Post" at least six feet deep in the actual ground...
In any case... Just so you know, you're probably not going to burn anything down by wrapping the thing in black-tape to avoid the rest of the insulation breaking free and wandering off of it... and welding to finish or whatever... It's still better for the machine (design and engineers and all) to get a replacement... OR you can call the replacement a "Spare"... Cut it off at the lost insulation, and just move the grounding CLAMP at the end to the new "end"... I usually go after a good set of bolt-cutters (the kind used to break locks) for this, because lineman's pliers just SUCK at taking on that much metal... BUT Welding Supply Stores sell replacement grounding clamps, so sooner or later, you might as well face the process and learn how to replace that on your own. It's not particularly complicated... You just about can't f*** it up.
AND you might find out the shorter grounding lead is a net benefit, just by not having so much wire and insulation wandering around under foot.
Sorry for the length (again), BUT I hope this helps out.
DO you want to turn the welder off and remove the elctrode before sanding the tip off? Is there a risk of shock by leaving the machine on while filing the tip off while it’s on?? Thanks
I'd pull the electrode out of the holder and just place the electrode holder so the metal can't contact with the work. I rarely turn the machine off during a project. You shouldn't need to file it every time, just if you run into trouble with slag on the end. If you whip it quickly out of the puddle when you finish a weld it will usually flick the slag off and you can just break a little flux off with your glove.
@@TimWelds Gotcha. Thank you. I just taught myself to stick weld last week but keep getting my stick stuck ha. I skip over and learned to TIG weld first. So far stick has been fun.
Just bought some 7018 2,5mm and can't strike an arc even at 140amps, although i can weld decently with 6013, with my 7018 sticks it eiter sticks or weld for one second then dies, what can it be? same issue on AC and DC+
Thank you so much! :)
You're welcome!
very helpful
Thanks so much!
Great thank you! It really helps!
The biggest thing I struggle with, is the angle in which I should strike the arc.
Instructors tell me to fix my posture and dont move so slowly on the initial strike and they're right. Im just struggling to get that part.
thanks 👍
Here’s a stupid question - for a home hobbyist total beginner, what’s the best (yet affordable) work surface to use for practice? I notice you have what looks like an expensive metal table. Is there something cheap that a beginner could use?
Harbor Freight has a couple options that are really affordable and work good.
Question? So do I put my rod all the way down on the medal or just brim it
You have to touch it to get started and hold a gap after it starts.
I’ll be damned issue resolved in seconds- thanks!
I am struggling so hard with sticking. And I’m running a fairly “easy to use” rod. I spent three hours my last class just trying to strike an arc. Stuck every time. Now sticking terrifies the crap out of me and I feel a bit like I’ve failed. The back and forth motion never works on my tiny coupons, so I end up having to pick my work up off the table or releasing my rod from the clamp, none of which feels like a good or safe option. My last class made me cry. I went from loving welding to not wanting to show up. I don’t understand where my amperage/voltage should be, or how high it can go.
That's rough. Keep trying.
Your channel is amazing Tim . I have a question for you . I know the quality of mig or tig welding machine is important . But how about stick welding machine ? Are Lincoln electrics stick welding machine worth it’s price ? What’s the difference between expensive stick welding machine and cheap stick welding machine? If you make a video about it I would be appreciated .
I'm practicing stick welding up hill. What voltage should I use. I'm at 105 and I stick like mofo
Thank you
You're welcome!
What a great video !
Thanks!
Dude thankyou so much!!!!
Good ser
Salam sahabat baru
New Welder from 🇮🇩🙏🤝
Show the numbers you put on your welder machine
Am @ 80 years old.. can I still take up.. learn . Welding?
For sure!
This will help me in trade school
A good welding strikes the arv with one hand and does the welding with the other
I don't know why but I keep getting my stick stuck into the metal with a 70A stick welder. I'll eventually figure this out- no way it could be this hard.
Thanks for not making jokes about beginners
Just struck my first arc at fortis college
You may as well give up if you're gonna watch videos...
GO DO IT!!!!
What a silly comment. You need to watch the videos to get tips on what to do, and then go practice what you've been told. And then watch more videos to learn more and understand better.
I have better luck short weld but if I tack weld it sticks mostly sticking tho. I’m using a 80 amp to begin with.